Celebrating ELPC 30 Years - 2023 Gala

Northwoods, WI

Blog

Check out the latest updates and in-depth stories from our staff and colleagues in the Midwest.

Explore the full collection below, or feel free to filter for particular states or issues.

Victory

From Toxic Dump to Future Park: A Landmark Victory for Chicago’s Southeast Side

“Chicago’s lakefront is for people and parks, not toxic waste dumps.”

11/13/25

Judith Nemes

Story

Americans Want More Passenger Rail

Amid record gas prices, we need more trains, not fewer

4/9/26

Derrick James

Story

5 Reasons Illinois Must Act Now to Protect Wetlands

Wetlands are an essential ecosystem for communities and wildlife across Illinois. Protecting them is more important than ever.

4/2/26

David McEllis

ELPC Events

Thinking Ahead this Earth Month

Simple ways to support ELPC and protect the environment for future generations

4/2/26

Addie Epstein Lawyer

Testimony

Testimony in Support of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

ELPC submitted testimony to Congress in support of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, an effective, bipartisan program that protects where we live, work, and play

3/30/26

Howard A. Learner

Story

Trump’s Housing Order Puts Water Risks on Homeowners

New Executive Order on Housing Guts Water Protections and Makes Housing More Vulnerable, Not More Affordable

3/23/26

Nancy Stoner

Story

Challenging Consumers Energy’s Plan to Sell 13 Michigan Dams

ELPC is representing conservation groups opposing the proposed sale to a Maryland-based private equity firm and protect Michigan’s rivers, communities, and ratepayers.

3/19/26

Daniel Abrams

Howard's Blog

Herbicides, Pesticides and Chemicals: Watch What They are Doing, Not What They’re Saying 

After all of the rhetoric from Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. of the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services about healthier foods and food systems, here’s what the Trump administration has recently done on herbicides, pesticides and chemicals. 

3/18/26

Howard A. Learner

Howard's Blog

Nature Record Assessment: Why is the Trump Administration Hiding the Ball?

This first-of-its-kind assessment of the health of nature in the United States was cancelled by the Trump White House. The researchers then went ahead and compiled it on their own.

3/17/26

Howard A. Learner

Story

Encouraging Coal Divestment in Cedar Falls, Iowa

ELPC Policy Advocate Matt Ohloff highlights the local opportunities to divest from MidAmerican's coal plants in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

3/12/26

Matt Ohloff

Testimony

Affordable Alternatives to Pricey Gas Line Replacements

Peoples Gas should only do pipe replacement as the last resort, ensuring that lower cost, lower risk alternatives have been reasonably ruled out.

3/3/26

Saad Siddique

Victory

Cutting Peak Energy Costs with Demand Response

Demand response programs incentivize customers—from homeowners to large industrial users—to temporarily reduce or shift electricity use during periods of high demand.

2/25/26

Karsten Neumeister

Update

So Much for Partnership: Weaker Oversight Puts Our Water at Risk

EPA’s latest proposal would undercut partnership with states and tribes that have protected the nation’s waters for 53 years.

2/18/26

Nancy Stoner

Howard's Blog

EPA Endangerment Repeal Ignores Law and Science – We’ll See Them in Court

Here’s what the Environmental Law & Policy Center is saying and doing as we prepare to file a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit challenging the Trump EPA's illegal and misguided repeal of the sound science-based federal greenhouse gases Endangerment Finding, and repeal of clean car and clean truck standards.

2/18/26

Howard A. Learner

Coalition Letter

Northeastern Illinois Deserves Strong Transit Leadership

Coalition letter calls on Chicagoland leaders to appoint innovative and experienced leaders to the new NITA board

2/5/26

Lena Guerrero Reynolds

VIDEO

ELPC Victory Video: Toxic Dump to Lakefront Park

Watch this video about a tremendous victory by ELPC and partners to stop a toxic waste dump and turn it into a lakefront park on Chicago's Southeast side.

2/3/26

Story

500 Claims, Fewer Protections: Why EPA’s “Accomplishments” Don’t Add Up for Clean Water, Clean Air, or Public Health

The Trump EPA has been dismantling long-standing environmental protections at breakneck speed, rejecting clear science and putting lives at risk

2/2/26

Lena Guerrero Reynolds

Testimony

Homegrown Solar Energy Strengthens Rural America

Across rural America, farmers, businesses, and landowners are turning to solar as a dependable, low-risk power source.

1/28/26

Karsten Neumeister

Update

Ottawa National Forest Proposes Massive Logging Project

This Upper Peninsula of Michigan project would extend for 40 Miles from the Sturgeon River Gorge Wilderness to U.S. 2 near Iron River

1/23/26

Kelly Thayer

Howard's Blog

EPA Undercutting State Authority to Protect Water

The Trump administration is now proposing to curb states’ rights to address pollution under the Section 401 of the Clean Water Act

1/15/26

Howard A. Learner

Editorial

Editorial: A Supreme Court Ruling Has Put Illinois’ Wetlands at Risk. Springfield Should Respond.

The Chicago Tribune Editorial Board calls on lawmakers in Springfield to protect Illinois wetlands

1/15/26

Testimony

Rolling Back Fuel Economy Standards Is a Step Backward

The Trump Administration is rolling back Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, a move that would undo years of progress on fuel savings, cleaner air, and climate protection.

1/8/26

Ann Mesnikoff

Testimony

EPA Proposal Would Allow Coal Ash Contamination to Continue Polluting Groundwater

ELPC's Nancy Stoner testified against EPA’s proposal to allow polluting coal-fired power plants to continue to operate and to delay closure of some of the largest coal ash ponds in the nation.

1/7/26

Nancy Stoner

Update

Safe Waters of the United States Are Critical to All

More than 80% of wetlands and at least 5 million miles of streams would lose federal protection

1/5/26

Nancy Stoner

Story

PERMIT Act: House Votes to Severely Weaken Clean Water Act

The PERMIT Act poses genuine threats to human health, making it easier for polluters to discharge toxic pollutants into the waters Americans use

12/19/25

Nancy Stoner

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